Line Harp: Importance-Driven Sonification for Dense Line Charts

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel importance-driven sonification method for dense line charts, enhancing accessibility for low-vision users by using a string instrument metaphor and dynamic auditory encoding.

Contribution

It presents a new sonification technique that encodes line segment importance and directionality, improving perception of dense visual data through interactive auditory cues.

Findings

Improved perception of dense line charts through sonification.

Enhanced accessibility for low-vision users.

Potential for interactive exploration of visual data via sound.

Abstract

Accessibility in visualization is an important yet challenging topic. Sonification, in particular, is a valuable yet underutilized technique that can enhance accessibility for people with low vision. However, the lower bandwidth of the auditory channel makes it difficult to fully convey dense visualizations. For this reason, interactivity is key in making full use of its potential. In this paper, we present a novel approach for the sonification of dense line charts. We utilize the metaphor of a string instrument, where individual line segments can be "plucked". We propose an importance-driven approach which encodes the directionality of line segments using frequency and dynamically scales amplitude for improved density perception. We discuss the potential of our approach based on a set of examples.